Is manufacturing the key to a strong national defense?

Oct. 10, 2013
Learn how the stilled labor shortage could pose a threat to American safety.

As the past decade has shown, the United States can be quickly drawn into conflicts around the world. To be prepared, our country must maintain a strong and skilled defense manufacturing industry to support the production of the equipment our troops need. But this defense base and the skilled jobs it provides are in grave danger.

Between 1998 and 2010, the country lost 57,000 manufacturing facilities and 6 million manufacturing jobs. If this trend continues, there is a very real risk that we will permanently lose the skills required to make much-needed equipment for the U.S. military and will need to look overseas for suppliers. As former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned earlier this year, “The last damn thing we need if we face a crisis is to somehow contract out that responsibility to another country. So we have to maintain the core industrial base that we need. The skills are essential to our ability to maintain a strong national defense.”

Read the whole story on Politico

Sponsored Recommendations

April 14, 2025
This paper addresses where leaks commonly occur, leak detection methods, and practical advice for an audit and repair plan. You'll learn why an ongoing leak detection and repair...
April 14, 2025
Here are some things you can do in between formal preventive maintenance visits on your electric screw compressor to extend compressor life and prevent downtime.
April 14, 2025
They cost more than refrigerated dryers. They need more parts and service than refrigerated dryers. They increase demand for compressed air. So when should you use a desiccant...
April 14, 2025
Follow these ten steps for energy savings in your compressed air system.